An attempt by a terrorist bomb expert to attack Manila was prevented by the Philippine National Police (PNP) yesterday.

Malaysian terrorist Mohamas Amin, who had a $17,020 or 600,000 Philippine peso bounty, was presented in a press briefing by Chief Supt Roel Obusan, acting director of the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) last Monday.

Amin was arrested at 4am on Saturday by joint operatives from the Anti-Transnational Crimes Unit (ATCU) of the CIDG and the PNP Intelligence Group in a raid in Quezon City.

Bilal Taalam, the owner of the house where Amin was staying, and Adnan Malangkis were also arrested with him.

Eight other tenants in the house are also being investigated.

The CIDG believes all three had links with the Abu Sayyaf Group in Sulu, an extremist terrorist group in the Philippines.

Authorities found a fragmentation grenade, several rounds of ammunition, various identification cards, a blue print of a condo mall in Quezon City and a cellular phone. They refused to name the condo where Amin and others were arrested to prevent panic.

Chief Supt Obusan said that the results of the police interrogation further strengthened their belief about Amin's plot to stage bombing attacks in Manila.

Amin, who also goes by the names Asman, Akman Amin and Amin Aklam, is a bomb expert and is a subject of an arrest warrant for a murder case filed at the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Jolo, Sulu.

Amin will also be charged with violations of Article 78 of the Revised Penal Code for concealing his true identity.

On the other hand, Taalam was charged with obstruction of justice and harbouring a fugitive or wanted person.

Chief Supt Obusan said Amin had an alliance with the three suspected suppliers of arms to Abu Sayyaf and other political warlords in Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi areas. They were Hja Risdimona Isa, Aljamer Akarab Mandin and Hurbin Sahibul, who were arrested in West Crame, San Juan City, last month.